Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Post No. 66

Becoming Home Owner in 2019

There are many ways of making one’s dream of becoming home owner in 2019 to materialise. One of them is to make a plan.

As part of our festive advice on home ownership, this week we are working on steps that ordinary working people and families can take to become home owners in the New Year.

This week’s home-owning work and steps will include the following:

√ The basic idea of home ownership

√ Financial planning to buy and own a home

√ Existing help and support for first time home buyers

√ Leads on sale advisers

√ Help to buy schemes

√ Home buying pitches

√ Other sources of finance to fund your home buying project or plan

√ Understanding home buying forecasts

√ Trends about property buying market by the end of 2018 and in 2019

Etc.

In addition to the above, there will be customised advice to look at prospective home buyers’ individual home ownership plans.

At the end of this week’s advisory home owning process, we hope that prospective home owners would be able to assemble all the key resources, support and guidance to make a better home buying and owning plan. We expect as well them to put in practice the knowledge and skills stemming from these activities to become home owners in the New Year.

Thinking of getting on the property ladder and moving to becoming home owner, contact Home Relief.

Home Relief can help you achieve your property goal and ambition as well as smooth your journey to becoming home owner in the New Year.

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Post No. 64

Festive Time Starts with Home Relief!

Home Relief’s Festive Letting campaign kicks off today with Happy Festive Season. We have special Festive Period offers which start from today the 26th of November 2018.

A Happy Festive Season starts with a home that relieves you; your own home where you live as a landlord/lady, the ones you tenants live in and the other ones you want to let.

Before thinking of any other presents or gifts, it is a good idea to give yourself a Festive Gift by letting your property if you are planning to let it. Home Relief is ready to take your letting instructions and make your letting as the Season’s Gift.

Home Relief can help you to achieve your festive property letting and management plans and goals, and start the New Year on a positive note regarding the return on your property investment.

LET IT before the end of 2018

If you are a landlord/lady and having problems or just don’t have time to let your property during the festive period, Home Relief can help. You can appoint or instruct us to do it on your behalf.

GET IT FULLY MANAGED before the end of 2018

If you think that you have other better things to do or priorities during the festive time and or in the near future than self-managing your property, don’t worry! Home Relief can fully manage it for you.

GET IT MAINTAINED before the end of 2018

The last thing any landlord/lady would like to hear is while they are having their festive holidays with friends and relatives (having their preferred drink, meal and chat), tenants try to contact them to deal with some property maintenance issues. If for any reason you can’t do it by yourself, Home Relief can take care of your property while you are having your festive break.

GET IT FINANCIALLY MANAGED before the end of 2018

If you are busier than chasing your tenants for rent or making some payments linked to your property account over the festive time, then Home Relief can collect your rent and administered it for you and other financial matters linked to your property investment.

APPOINT HOME RELIEF TO ACT AS YOUR FESTIVE CONTACT before the end of 2018

If you are contemplating to be abroad or away for a little while during the festive time and you don’t want to leave your tenants without any third party contact or with uninterested or even unqualified party, why not instruct Home Relief to act as your festive contact should there be any problem or an emergency. Home Relief can act on your behalf while you are away.

Whether it is about Lettings Only, Financial or Full Management and Maintenanceor just a Property Contact/Liaison, you can instruct Home Relief to act on your behalf.

By taking the decision to appoint Home Relief in this way, this will enable you to have a relaxing, hassle-free, peaceful and less costly festive season with your property rental business and with your love ones.

JUST INSTRUCT US NOW FOR A FESTIVE PEACE OF MIND AND SECURITY OF YOUR INVESTMENT! WE ARE READY TO TAKE YOUR FESTIVE INSTRUCTIONS.

Just Work with Home Relief’s Festive Lettings & Gifts Negotiator.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Post No. 63

Change of Tenants’ Income Circumstances

Let’s start this week’s post and topic with the following complaint from a landlady.

Landlady: The tenants I have got, when they came in my property they were working. Now, I have discovered that they are claiming benefit. What should I do?

The above is the case Home Relief came across from a landlady who asked us for advice and guidance.

This week we are discussing with landlords/ladies how the changes of their tenants’ circumstances may or may not affect their relationships and various aspects of tenancy matter; in particular when a tenant starts to claim housing benefits. Yet, they initially rented the property as working or professional tenants.

Most experienced landlords/ladies would know how to deal with this situation. If not, at the start of any tenancy, it is better to plan for the unpredictable. If the plan does not work, then there is always legal advice and guidance that one may seek.

To prevent this happens, most landlords/ladies or their letting agents would have carried out all the required letting checks before the tenancy starts. They would have collected tenants’ references related to the proof of income; check their credit history or score; get the required deposit; get the necessary cover (a guarantor) if the tenants fail to pay; make them to sign an undertaking if they fail in their contractual obligations etc.

However precautions they may take, letting a property is always a risky business like any other types of business. It does not matter the safety measures one can take as we are dealing with human beings. If things change like in the above case, what to do?

There are few things one can do such as

√ Review the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement

√ Check the tenants’ entitlement to housing benefits is real

√ Review their occupational reference

√ Update their credit history etc.

Perhaps, the best thing to do is to have a meeting with the tenants and discuss the matter in dept to find out how they are going to pay for the rent agreed for the all length of tenancy. If this does not work , you can always seek mediation or legal advice if the rent becomes a controversial issue.

There are more steps that can be taken to resolve any pending issues stemming from the change of tenants’ income circumstances. This week we are working on the range of possible solutions or options to the problem, especially for those landlords/ladies who did not buy a rent guaranteed scheme or rent insurance policy on the market.

Need to find out what to if your tenants’ income circumstances change, work with Home Relief.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits to Home Relief website and to doing business with you.

Many thanks!

Home Relief – freelance e-property people dealing with affordable homes

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Monday 12 November 2018

by the Property Team

Post No. 62

Tips for Digital Windows and Home Technologies

Digital technologies for rental properties are back this week as part of our property letting advice and warm homes campaign. This week is about Tips for Digital Windows and Home Technologies in let properties and properties to let. These Tips for Digital Windows and Home Technologies are designed to enhance landlords/ladies’ property lettings and management.

The purpose of these technologies and of us writing about them is to support our landlord/lady clients in their plans for home improvements so that they can protect their property-to-let investment and gradually move with the technology to stay in the game as the landscape of rental market keeps changing.

When landlords/ladies are converting and or revamping their homes to let, they may face with some choices to make. The choice we would like to talk about here is the one concerning windows and new technologies linked to them. In this regard, we would like to mention windows that are remotely controlled.

As part of this week’s tips and advisory support, it makes sense to choose windows that meet your home improvements and letting goals while being mindful of the new technologies in the area of choice.

Your choice can be guided by a variety of windows which are

• programmable with touch-screen remote control

• equipped with a rain sensor

• solar powered

• retrofitable

• convertible to electric operation

• furnished with easy-to-clean coating feature etc.

If you are planning to carry out home improvements (like extensions and or loft conversions), skylights windows are the most recommended by windows experts. These kinds of windows can make a letting difference to you and your tenants. As with any investment, your decision will be based on what you spend and what you get in return.

The above are just basic tips. However, you can work with Home Relief if you want to take a further step in your window improvements plan.

If you are a landlord/lady and planning to improve your home or to let or even to buy to let, Home Relief can work with you on your home improvement plans, letting plans and future buy-to-let investments.

Work with Home Relief for advice on your home improvement plans, letting plans and future buy-to-let investments!

Need to rent or buy affordable home, work with Home Relief.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits to Home Relief website and to doing business with you.

Many thanks!

Home Relief – freelance e-property people dealing with affordable homes

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Monday 05 November 2018

by the Property Team

Post No. 61

The Reformed Lettings Relief –

Our property advisory service for landlords/ladies will deal this week with Lettings Relief.

We will be working with them on Private Residence Relief as provided in the Autumn Budget 2018. We are particularly dealing with the change to the ancillary reliefs in Private Residence Reliefs that provides relief on rented property. We are not dealing with the ancillary reliefs in Private Residence Reliefs that gives gains made in the final period of ownership regardless of occupancy.

As it has been indicated in the UK Budget 2018, from April 2020 the relief will change and only be available to those who are in shared occupancy with a tenant for nine months. According to the HM Treasury, this change will not affect owner-occupiers or landlords who have never lived in the property they are renting out.

As part of lettings advice we offer, we will look at how this change in lettings relief may or may not affect landlords/ladies’ property lettings. Our work for this week has been organised in this way.

Main advisory activity:

• Looking at the effects of the change in lettings relief as planned in the Autumn Budget 2018 on individual landlord/lady. We will work out how this change will or will not affect each landlord/lady on individual basis if it comes into force.

Side advisory activities:

• Considering landlords’/ladies’ property lettings plans (for those who have already a property and are planning to let it) by April 2020

• Discussing property buy-to-let investment plans for those who would like to buy and let a property by April 2020

If you are a landlord/lady resident at your let property and being concerned about Lettings Relief, Home Relief can work with you on this matter.

If you are a landlord/lady and planning to let and or to buy to let, Home Relief can work with you on your letting plans and future buy-to-let investments.

Work with Home Relief for advice on the reformed Lettings Relief, on your letting plans, and on your future buy-to-let investments!

Need to rent or buy affordable home, work with Home Relief.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits to Home Relief website and to doing business with you.

Many thanks!

Home Relief – freelance e-property people dealing with affordable homes

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Monday 29 October 2018

by the Property Team

Post No. 60

Far-sighted Landlords/ladies and their Warm Rental Homes

The focus of our Autumn campaign this week is on Warm Rental Homes. As the cold weather arrives this Autumn, we would like to take this opportunity to work again with landlords/ladies regarding maintenance issues, particularly those related to keeping the rental properties warm. It is indeed a week of exchanging views with landlords/ladies showing foresight and of providing some Key Tips with regard to this matter.

• Far-sighted Landlords/ladies

The far-sighted landlords/landladies are men or women who rent out land, a building, or accommodation, and who are gifted with foresight to prevent any issue that may jeopardize their rental investment. They are the ones who make their plans to self-protect their investment, which is in this case their rental properties, before the full cold weather of Winter arrives.

One of the self-protection plans they can do is to make their rental properties to be environmentally and weather-friendly for their tenants at their properties. There are some contractual obligations they normally have to meet; obligations covering this particular area of tenancy agreement. Most landlords and landladies should know them. However, it has never been a bad idea to remind ourselves the things we all know should we just forget and to avoid trouble or disputes ahead.

• Key Tips for Warm Rental Homes

Here are the Key Tips for a Warm Winter at your rented or tenanted properties:

Central heating and hot water working

Hot water storage cylinder functioning if the property is fitted with one

Solar photovoltaic panels adapted to heat water

Curtains that control the cold weather

Windows (e.g. skylights) prepared for the cold weather

The entire property climate-adapted (or proved) or treated against cold

Besides that the other areas of property maintenance (such as electricity and gas safety checks, fire proof furniture, structural survey of the property etc.) should also be considered. It is a good idea from time to time to check if there has been change in rental property regulations or laws.

If it requires carrying out some renovations and or improvements to your rental property to make your tenants’ living in line with the contractual and legal requirements, please do it NOW before Winter comes.

A far-sighted landlord/lady seeking to avoid any maintenance issues ahead of and during Winter will make sure that the above is dealt with as earlier as possible. And if not sure, check with property experts. You can involve Home Relief as well.

To involve Home Relief in your Winter maintenance plans, just contact us.

Need to rent or buy affordable home, work with Home Relief.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Post No. 59

Property Rescue Mission Service With Abandoned Properties

This week’s topic for work with landlords/ladies and home owners is abandoned properties.

My tenant abandoned the property, what should I do?

Abandonment happens when a tenant moves out of a property before the tenancy has ended, without informing their landlord/lady. There are many causes of abandonment which could include the following:

~ Outstanding rent

~ Unpaid bills

~ Loss of job

~ Change of tenant’s personal circumstances and so on.

Whatever the reason or cause (justified or unjustified), there could be a cost to be beard, especially for the landlord/lady.

What could be the costs?

There could be loss of rent for landlord/lady, legal costs, maintenance costs, the costs of pressure etc. The situation can even be worse when tenants leave behind their belongings and or pass the keys to someone else or simply squatters get in. What to do?

What is the legal position on the abandonment matter?

The legal position on this matter is that the tenant still has a legal right to return and take up residence at any time and it is a criminal offence for landlords/ladies to do anything to prevent the continuation of the tenancy. It is as well a criminal offence to end a tenancy without going through the proper legal motions.

What are the options available?

The only option for a landlord/lady is to go through the legal process for regaining possession of an abandoned property which can take months.

This is why at Home Relief, we provide Property Rescue Mission as a rescue service for any property which is subject to disputes between the two parties, particularly where the landlord/lady lost control and wants to regain control.

No tenancy can be perfect. No matter the kinds of precautions you may take before it begins. For as long as you are dealing with human beings, there is always a possibility of human error and something can happen in the future. Abandonment is one of the problems which can happen. Home Relief’s Rescue Mission covers this problem. If abandonment happens, then it needs to be dealt with.

Abandonment case study

Few years ago, we come across a case whereby a landlord called us to inform us that his tenant left the premises in Streatham without notice and did not pay the last three months’ rent.

Before letting the property to tenant, the landlord collected one months’ deposit and one months’ rent in advance. The tenant provided a good reference and she was working in one of the major financial institutions of the town. The references collected from her at the time built more trust from the landlord on her than to any other competing home seeker.

But, sadly she abandoned the property. The landlord tried to contact her in vain. When we called at the one bedroom flat with the landlord, we discovered that she left the property and a male person was coming in the night to sleep there and claimed to be her friend. We asked him to provide the contact details of the legal tenant so that we could trace her, he could not.

We managed by ourselves to track down the tenant. She handed back the keys but did not pay the outstanding rent of nearly £2,000. She told us she left her possessions in the property of £3,000 market value, which the landlord can sell to cover the outstanding rent. This was simply not true. We had to resort to a legal action to settle the financial matter as she could not get away with her tricks.

The above case shows how what can sound very good at the start of any tenancy can become conflicting in the future.

Any one who has a property which has been abandoned and is wondering what to do, they can work with Home Relief to sort out the matter.

Need to rent or buy affordable home, work with Home Relief.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits to Home Relief website and to doing business with you.

Many thanks!

Home Relief – freelance e-property people dealing with affordable homes

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Monday 15 October 2018

by the Property Team

Post No. 58

Landlord/Lady –Tenant Relationship Support Week

As part of our Autumn Letting and Rental Campaign, we are offering this week support to landlords/ladies and tenants in their tenancy relationships. This support aims at those contractual parties who have problems, those who feel they may experience disagreement sooner or later, and those who want to learn to avoid or solve problems between them.

To stay on track of hassle-free letting and rental and consolidate our support to landlords/ladies and tenants, we are providing a week of Healthy, Worthy and Wealthy Relationship Support starting from 15 October and ending 20 October 2018.

A healthy tenancy relationship means that landlords/ladies and tenants are connected through tenancy based on mutual respect, trust and honesty.

A wealthy tenancy relationship means that the contractual rent is paid in the manner, at the amount and at the time as specified by the terms and conditions of agreement so that the landlord/lady does not lose on their wealth. Because the rent is paid as agreed, the landlord/lady keeps their part of the bargain; that is to manage and maintain their property accordingly so that tenants do not lose their income in paying for a property which does not provide value for their money.

A worthy tenancy relationship means that the process of dealing between the two contractual parties in context of tenancy agreement suits both of them, and has merit or value as well.

So, a trouble-free letting and rental relationship is expressed by good relationships between the two contractual parties (Landlord/lady and Tenant). This week’s support aims at alleviating some of the problems which may occur and or occurring with existing tenancies as well as finding way forward or solutions.

Free Rescue or Relief Packages this week!

In addition to the above support service, Landlords/ladies can access our Rescue Package for FREE and/ or at minimal third party costs, just as Tenants can have our Relief Package arranged for them for FREE and/or at very competitive third party costs.

To get the makes of your Rescue or Relief Packages, contact Home Relief this week!

What’s more for this week!

We are offering a 10% discount on all of our instructions to let for Landlords/ladies and of applications to rent from home seekers or prospective tenants regardless of the sizes and locations of properties.

To build on this Autumn introductory fresh sale offer, we are as well given away a 5 minutes EXTRA FREE of advice to let for Landlords/ladies and Help to Rent for Tenants; making altogether with our usual 15 minutes FREE 20 minutes of FREE advice and or help.

To get 20 minutes of FREE advice and or help, contact Home Relief this week!

Need to rent or buy affordable home, work with Home Relief.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.

Home Relief – freelance e-property people dealing with affordable homes

Welcome to Home Relief Bulletin Board

Post No. 57

AUTUMN LETTING CAMPAIGN with Promoted Lets

This Autumn, we are offering Promoted Lets to the market for landlords/ladies who decide to instruct us for letting and managing their properties.

Whether you find tenants by yourselves or through us, if you decide to involve us you can have your let promoted by Home Relief.

Promoted Lets by Home Relief is an account managed service offered to landlords/ladies that boosts the letting of their property (ies) through a multi-channel presentation. It has some advantages which include the three main following ones:

√ Helping to raise the profile of your residential property letting and management business

√ Encouraging prospective renters and home-renting seekers to place an offer on your property

√ Boosting the earning potentials of your property portfolio

Even if you are only a part time landlord/lady or only have one or two properties to let, Promoted Lets can help to expand your property investment potentials should you decide to become a full time landlord/lady or a regular property-to-let investor.

If you decide to become regular property-to-let investor, Home Relief can create an account managed service for you to help you achieve your property and investment goals and returns.

Furthermore, a Promoted Let can offer you leads or help you to tap into various segments of the letting and management property market.

Finally, Promoted Lets is a Home Relief product designed to optimise your earning capacity so that you can steadily and surely grow your portfolio over the long term.

Briefly, with Promoted Lets, you get the following benefits:

your Let Property Online Advertised

plusa Letting Story

plus Savings on Future Lettings and Management Costs

plus Assistance to Build Property Portfolio

equal Tenants and Return on your Investment Guaranteed

To instruct Home Relief and or find more about Promoted Lets Scheme, please contact Home Relief.

Need to rent or buy affordable home, work with Home Relief.

If you are looking for an affordable location and home, Home Relief is the people dealing with affordable homes you could consider in your property searches and enquiries.